What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing a website to rank higher in search engine results (Google, Bing, etc.). The goal is to increase organic traffic by improving website quality, content, and backlinks.

To prepare for an SEO job interview, it’s crucial to understand the types of questions you may encounter and how to answer them effectively.

Types of SEO Jobs

SEO jobs can be categorized into different roles, including:

1. SEO Executive / SEO Analyst – Entry-level position focusing on keyword research, on-page optimization, and basic link building.
2. SEO Specialist – Manages technical SEO, backlink strategies, and analytics.
3. SEO Manager – Leads SEO teams and creates full SEO strategies for businesses.
4. SEO Consultant – Works as a freelancer or advisor to improve clients’ SEO.
5. SEO Content Writer – Focuses on writing SEO-friendly content for blogs, websites, and landing pages.
6. Technical SEO Expert – Specializes in site architecture, Core Web Vitals, and indexing issues.
7. Link Building Specialist – Builds high-quality backlinks through outreach, guest posting, and networking.

Skills Required for an SEO Job

✔ Strong understanding of Google algorithms & SEO trends
✔ Expertise in SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, Screaming Frog
✔ Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
✔ Good writing & content optimization skills
✔ Ability to analyze Google Analytics & Search Console reports
✔ Strong problem-solving & analytical skills.

Here are some Basic to advance interview questions for seo:

Basic interview questions for SEO:

Q. 1:- What are the types of SEO?

Ans:- SEO is divided into three main types:

Technical SEO – Improving site speed, mobile-friendliness, and indexing.

On-Page SEO – Optimizing website content, keywords, headings, and images.

Off-Page SEO – Link building, social signals, and guest posting.

Q. 2:- What are keywords in SEO?

Ans:- Keywords are words or phrases that people type in search engines. For example, “best SEO tools” is a keyword.

Q. 3:- What is the difference between On-Page and Off-Page SEO?

Ans:- On-Page SEO is about optimizing your own website (content, meta tags, internal linking).
Off-Page SEO is about getting links from other websites (backlinks, social media, PR).

Q. 4:- What is a meta title and meta description?

Ans:- Meta Title – The title of a page that appears on search engines.
Meta Description – A short summary (160 characters) of the page shown below the title in search results.

Q. 5:- What is an XML Sitemap?

Ans:- An XML sitemap is a file that helps search engines find all pages on your website.

Q. 6:- What is Robots.txt?

Ans:- Robots.txt is a file that tells search engines which pages they can or cannot crawl.

Q. 7:- What is the ideal keyword density for SEO?

Ans:- There is no fixed keyword density, but 0.5% – 2% is considered optimal. The focus should be on natural placement rather than stuffing.

Q. 8:- What are canonical tags, and when should they be used?

Ans:-A canonical tag (rel="canonical") prevents duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred version of a webpage.

Q. 9:- What is the difference between 301 and 302 redirects?

• 301 Redirect – Permanent redirect, passes link juice.
• 302 Redirect – Temporary redirect, does not pass link juice.

Q. 10:- What is a backlink, and what are its types?

Ans:- A backlink is a hyperlink from another website to yours. Types include:

• UGC & Sponsored links – Used for user-generated content and paid links.
• DoFollow backlinks – Pass link juice and improve rankings.
• NoFollow backlinks – Do not pass link juice but add credibility.

Technical SEO Questions for JOB Interview:

Q. 11:- What is Mobile-First Indexing?

Ans:- Google primarily indexes and ranks the mobile version of a website instead of the desktop version. A responsive design and fast mobile pages are essential.

Q. 12:- What is a crawl budget, and how do you optimize it?

Ans:- Crawl budget is the number of pages Googlebot crawls within a given period. To optimize:

• Fix broken links and redirects.
• Remove duplicate pages.
• Improve internal linking.

Q. 13:- What are high-quality backlinks, and how do you build them?

Ans:- High-quality backlinks come from authoritative and relevant sites. Methods to build them include:

• HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
• Guest posting
• Broken link building
• Skyscraper technique (creating better content than competitors)

Q. 14:- What is the Disavow Tool in Google Search Console?

Ans:- The Disavow Tool is used to remove toxic backlinks that could harm rankings.

Q. 15:- What is E-E-A-T in SEO?

Ans:-Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness – Google uses these factors to evaluate content quality.

Q. 16:- How do you optimize for featured snippets?

• Answer questions concisely.
• Use bullet points, lists, and tables.
• Use structured data.

Q. 17:- What is Google Discover, and how do you optimize for it?

Ans:- Google Discover shows personalized content to users. To optimize:

• Focus on E-E-A-T.
• Create high-quality, engaging content.
• Use high-resolution images.

Q. 18:- What is a bounce rate, and how does it affect SEO?

Ans:- Bounce rate is the percentage of users who leave a site without interacting. A high bounce rate may indicate poor user experience.

Q. 19:- What are the key SEO metrics to track?

• Organic traffic (Google Analytics)
• Keyword rankings (SEMrush, Ahrefs)
• CTR (Click-Through Rate)
• Dwell time
• Conversion rate

Q. 20:- How does AI impact SEO?

Ans:- AI enhances search algorithms, content creation, and personalization, making SEO more user-centric.

Q. 21:- What are Core Web Vitals?

Ans:- Core Web Vitals are Google’s metrics for page experience:

• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – Measures visual stability.
• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – Measures page load speed.
• FID (First Input Delay) – Measures page interactivity.

Q. 22:- What is Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA)?

• DA (Domain Authority) – A score (0-100) that predicts a website’s ranking potential.
• PA (Page Authority) – A score (0-100) that predicts a single page’s ranking potential.

Q. 23:- What role does anchor text play in SEO?

Ans:- Anchor text is the clickable text in a hyperlink. It provides context about the linked page and can influence its ranking based on relevance and keyword usage.

Q. 24:- How do you identify technical SEO issues?

Ans:- By using tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to audit websites for issues such as broken links, slow page speeds, and mobile usability problems.

Q. 25:- How do you strategically place target keywords throughout a blog post?

Ans:- I place target keywords in key locations such as the title (H1), first paragraph, subheadings (H2-H6), and throughout the content while ensuring it reads naturally for users.

Q. 26:- What is the importance of HTTPS in SEO?

Ans:- It secures the website and improves trust & rankings.

Q. 27:- What is schema markup?

Ans:- A type of structured data that helps search engines understand content.

Q. 28:- What is guest posting?

Ans:- Writing content for other websites to earn backlinks.

Q. 29:- What are spam backlinks?

Ans:- Low-quality or irrelevant links that harm SEO.

Q. 30:- How to remove bad backlinks?

Ans:- Use Google’s Disavow Tool in Search Console.

Q. 31:- What is social bookmarking?

Ans:- Submitting website links to bookmarking sites like Reddit & Digg.

Q. 32:- What is structured data?

Ans:- Extra HTML code that helps search engines understand page content better.

Q. 33:- What is lazy loading?

Ans:- Delaying image loading until they appear on the screen.

Q. 34:- What is AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)?

Ans:- A Google-backed project that makes pages load super fast on mobile.

Q. 35:- What is RankBrain?

Ans:- Google’s AI-based ranking system.

Q. 36:-

Ans:-

Q. 37:- What are the best free SEO tools?

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• Ubersuggest
• Ahrefs (Free version)
• Screaming Frog

Q. 38:- What is semantic SEO, and why is it important?

Ans:- Semantic SEO involves optimizing content based on user intent and related concepts, not just exact-match keywords.

Q. 39:- What is Google’s Panda algorithm, and how can you recover from it?

Ans:- Panda targets low-quality, duplicate, or thin content. To recover:

• Increase user engagement
• Improve content quality
• Avoid duplicate content

Q. 40:- How do you optimize for Featured Snippets?

Ans:- Use question-based headings, structured data, and concise, direct answers (40-50 words work best).

Q. 41:- What is hreflang, and why is it important?

Ans:- Hreflang tags indicate the language and region for international SEO, helping Google serve the right version to users.

Q. 42:- What is the role of Edge SEO?

Ans:- Edge SEO involves making technical SEO changes at the CDN level using tools like Cloudflare Workers to modify headers, redirects, and robots.txt.

Q. 43:- What is lazy loading, and why is it important for SEO?

Ans:- Lazy loading delays loading of images/videos until they are needed, improving page speed and user experience.

Q. 44:- How do you implement pagination correctly for SEO?

Ans:- Use rel=”next” and rel=”prev” (deprecated but still useful) and ensure canonical tags point to self to avoid duplicate content issues.

Q. 45:- How do you fix the “Discovered – currently not indexed” issue in Google Search Console?

Ans:- Improve internal linking, content quality, and fetch the page manually in Search Console.

Q. 46:- What is the Skyscraper Technique in link building?

Ans:- Create better content than competitors, then reach out to sites linking to the old content and ask them to link to yours instead.

Q. 47:- What is the difference between citation flow and trust flow?

• Citation Flow = Quantity of backlinks.
• Trust Flow = Quality of backlinks.

Q. 48:- What is Barnacle SEO?

Ans:- Using high-authority third-party platforms (like Medium, Quora, YouTube) to rank for competitive keywords.

Q. 49:- How do you optimize for zero-click searches?

Ans:- Use structured data, FAQ sections, and short, informative answers.

Q. 50:- How do you conduct an SEO split test?

Ans:- Use tools like Google Optimize to test meta titles, schema changes, or internal linking.